by Sarah Lane
It is ironic, or perhaps more accurately just plain wrong, that the movements to green up our workplaces and schools are so far ahead of the efforts to make day cares eco-friendly. Not to say that no one is doing anything about it. But the large-scale successful national eco-school programs such as the Green Schools Initiative, the Earth Day Network’s Green Schools Project, and the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools program and international efforts like Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots and the Green Schools Alliance focus on elementary and …

by Julie Hall and Sarah Lane
The inaugural edition of the green, progressive thematic monthly ProgressiveKid Reader is about something we love to do here at PK—get outside. There are many reasons we each need to get outside every day, but perhaps our kids need it even more than we do—for exercise, adventure, Vitamin D, sensory experience, connection with animals, plants, and Earth’s elements, and so much more. We all have favorite outdoor activities, from walking the dog to picnicking to bike riding, but sometimes it helps to be reminded of …

from the National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There campaign helps parents find easy ways to for their children to get outside. Here are ten tips to get you started:
1. Enjoy The Simple Pleasures
Sometimes the simplest outdoor activities leave the most lasting memories for kids. Remember how to skip a stone, make a daisy chain, or blow a grass whistle?  These easy games could be making your child  happier, too. Research by Cornell University environmental psychologist Nancy Wells shows that children with more exposure to nature have reduced …

by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal

Parents, grandparents, and other relatives are the first responders, but they cannot resolve society’s nature-deficit disorder by themselves. Educators, health care professionals, policy-makers, business people, urban designers—all must lend a hand. Many of the activities presented here and in the book are adult-supervised, but it’s important to remember that one of the most important goals is for our children to experience joy and wonder everyday, and for them to be encouraged to create their …